The President of Kyrgyzstan commented on the widespread power outages that Kyrgyzstanis are complaining about. In another interview with Kabar news agency, Sadyr Japarov voiced the reasons and told what is being done to eliminate the problem.
He admitted that power sector specialists allow temporary interruptions in the supply of electricity to the homes of residents of the country.
According to the President, at the moment, the electricity deficit is 3.9 billion kilowatt-hours.
«When we came to power in 2020, the deficit in winter was 3 billion kilowatt-hours. The reason is that not a single hydropower station has been built over the past 30 years. If small hydropower stations with a capacity of 30 megawatts were built every year, then we would not face this in winter,» he said.
Sadyr Japarov recalled that hydropower stations have been built for the past two years, wind and solar energy sources began to be used. But despite the efforts being made, there is still an electricity shortage.
The head of state also noted that hundreds of social, industrial and infrastructure facilities, including schools, factories, and plants have been built since 2020, and the demand for electricity is growing. For example, the new Terek Tash cement plant in Chui region consumes 30 megawatts.
Sadyr Japarov believes that electricity in the Kyrgyz Republic is cheap. Its cost is 2.72 soms, and electricity is sold to the population at 1 som 10 tyiyns. In addition, under the Family Assistance program, electricity is provided for 55 tyiyns to 69,000 families, and 186,000 consumers in mountainous areas receive electricity at 1 som 10 tyiyns without restrictions.
Our national habit is not to save electricity. Many leave light bulbs on in rooms unnecessarily. I often remind to turn off the lights if you don’t need them. Water from Toktogul reservoir is wasted because of each light bulb on. Therefore, it is important to save electricity.
Sadyr Japarov
«Government agencies, schools, kindergartens do not turn off the lights in the premises, because they believe that the state will pay. This also affects the situation.
Our country has endured this for 30 years. If we endure another 3-4 years, then after the completion of the construction of Kambar-Ata-1 with a capacity of 1,860 megawatts, the electricity deficit will be eliminated. We will be able to fully provide the country with electricity and start export,» he noted.
The President added that small hydropower plants are also being built, such as Bala-Saruu, Kainama, Ysyk-Ata, Kok-Art, Isfairam, Kurak-Tektir, Kyshtut, which will soon begin operating.
«Toktogul hydropower plant will undergo a complete reconstruction next year. We will receive additional 240 megawatts of capacity. This year we also began reconstruction of Uch-Korgon hydroelectric power station, by the end of December we will put into operation the fourth generator, which will provide another 9 megawatts, and after the completion of the reconstruction, 36 megawatts will be added,» Sadyr Japarov said.
He assured that in the near future Kyrgyzstan will become a country that not only imports, but also exports electricity. This year, many agreements have been signed on the use of solar and wind energy to generate electricity. A 100-megawatt hydropower station is being built in Naryn region.
The head of state explained that short-term power outages are made to prevent overloaded equipment from failing. There is a risk of overheating and breakdown of transformers, the cost of which can reach 140 million soms.
«If such a transformer fails, its replacement may take up to 150 days. To avoid long outages, energy sector workers are carrying out planned measures to manage the load and temporarily reduce consumption. I ask citizens to take these temporary measures with understanding,» the president said.